U.S. patent number 8,984,388 [Application Number 13/237,490] was granted by the patent office on 2015-03-17 for terminal device for downloading and installing an application and method thereof.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. The grantee listed for this patent is Hyun-jin Kim, Ji-yeon Kwak, Jin Ra, Joon-kyu Seo. Invention is credited to Hyun-jin Kim, Ji-yeon Kwak, Jin Ra, Joon-kyu Seo.
United States Patent |
8,984,388 |
Seo , et al. |
March 17, 2015 |
Terminal device for downloading and installing an application and
method thereof
Abstract
A method for installing an application includes inputting a
command to download the application, selecting a page to add an
identifier for executing the application, and displaying the
identifier on the selected page.
Inventors: |
Seo; Joon-kyu (Gyeonggi-do,
KR), Kim; Hyun-jin (Seoul, KR), Kwak;
Ji-yeon (Seoul, KR), Ra; Jin (Gyeonggi-do,
KR) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Seo; Joon-kyu
Kim; Hyun-jin
Kwak; Ji-yeon
Ra; Jin |
Gyeonggi-do
Seoul
Seoul
Gyeonggi-do |
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A |
KR
KR
KR
KR |
|
|
Assignee: |
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
(KR)
|
Family
ID: |
45818885 |
Appl.
No.: |
13/237,490 |
Filed: |
September 20, 2011 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20120072871 A1 |
Mar 22, 2012 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Sep 20, 2010 [KR] |
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10-2010-0092521 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
715/204; 715/243;
715/838 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N
5/445 (20130101); H04N 21/472 (20130101); H04N
21/8166 (20130101); H04N 9/8205 (20130101); H04N
21/47 (20130101); H04N 21/4882 (20130101); G06F
8/61 (20130101); H04N 21/41407 (20130101); H04N
21/4316 (20130101); H04N 21/4312 (20130101); G06F
9/451 (20180201) |
Current International
Class: |
G06F
17/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;715/204,243,838 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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1020030068310 |
|
Aug 2003 |
|
KR |
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100677377 |
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Jan 2007 |
|
KR |
|
Other References
IPhone User Guide, for IPhone OS 3.1 Software', Apple, Inc., 2009,
pp. 1-217. cited by examiner .
Bakari Chavanu, '4 Great Tips to Organize Apps on the iPhone iO54',
makeuseof.com, Jun. 28, 2010. cited by examiner .
Mexican Office Action dated Aug. 22, 2013 issued in counterpart
application No. MX/a/2013/003198. cited by applicant .
Mexican Office Action dated Apr. 28, 2014 issued in counterpart
Application No. MX/a/2014/000330. cited by applicant .
Mexican Office Action dated Sep. 26, 2014 issued in counterpart
Application No. MX/a/2014/000330. cited by applicant .
Australian Examination Report dated Oct. 10, 2014 issued in
counterpart Application No. 2011306546. cited by applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Hong; Stephen
Assistant Examiner: Ludwig; Matthew
Attorney, Agent or Firm: The Farrell Law Firm, P.C.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method for installing an application in a terminal device,
comprising: receiving, by the terminal, a user input to download a
selected application; displaying, in response to the user input to
download the selected application, at least one element
corresponding to at least one page of the terminal, the page
including an icon corresponding to an installed application;
receiving, by the terminal, a user input to select a page among the
at least one page; and displaying an icon corresponding to the
selected application on the selected page with the icon
corresponding to the installed application.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the user interface
comprises displaying a plurality of thumbnail images for a
plurality of pages in which existing icons corresponding to
previously-installed applications are displayed, and wherein
receiving the user input comprises receiving an input selecting a
page to display the icon corresponding to the selected application
from among the plurality of thumbnail images.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: displaying a
thumbnail image in a non-selectable state, if a corresponding page
does not have available space to add the icon corresponding to the
selected application; and displaying a thumbnail image in a
selectable state, if a corresponding page has available space to
add the icon corresponding to the selected application.
4. The method of claim 3, further comprising displaying a
folder-selecting popup window, if the thumbnail image in the
selectable state is selected.
5. The method of claim 3, wherein displaying the plurality of
thumbnail images comprises displaying a folder-selecting window in
an activated state on one side of the thumbnail image in the
non-selectable state, if the page that does not have the available
space to add the icon corresponding to the selected application
includes a folder therein.
6. The method of claim 2, further comprising: downloading the
selected application from a server; displaying on one side of the
icon corresponding to the selected application, information to
indicate a download progress of the selected application; and
installing the selected application in the terminal device when the
downloading of the selected application is completed.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein displaying the information
further comprises representing the download progress in the form of
a progress bar which is displayed as rotating around an edge of the
icon corresponding to the selected application, clockwise or
counterclockwise, according to the download progress of the
selected application, wherein the progress bar completely surrounds
the edge of the icon corresponding to the selected application when
the downloading of the selected application is completed.
8. The method of claim 2, further comprising displaying a mark on
one side of the icon to indicate that the selected application has
not been used yet, until first use of the selected application,
once the selected application is completely downloaded and
installed on the terminal device and the icon is displayed on the
selected page.
9. The method of claim 2, wherein selecting the page comprises:
dividing a text list representing the previously-installed
applications based on a preset number and displaying the divided
text lists on a plurality of pages; and receiving an input
selecting a page to add the text to represent the selected
application, from the pages which correspond to the divided text
lists, wherein the identifier includes a text which represents the
selected application.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein displaying the identifier on the
selected page comprises: ensuring available space on the text list
of the selected page, while shifting a displaying location of
existing text downward; and displaying the text on the ensured
space.
11. A terminal, comprising: a user interface unit which receives a
user input to download a selected application; a control unit which
provides, in response to the user input to download the selected
application, at least one element corresponding to at least one
page of the terminal, the page including an icon corresponding to
an installed application, and controls, upon receiving, by the
terminal, a user input to select a page among the at least one
page, the user interface unit to display an icon corresponding to
the selected application on the selected page with the icon
corresponding to the installed application; a communication
interface unit which connects to a server to download the selected
application under a control of the controller; and a storage unit
which stores the selected application.
12. The terminal device of claim 11, wherein the control unit
controls the user interface unit to display a plurality of
thumbnail images for a plurality of pages in which existing icons
corresponding to previously-installed applications, in response to
the command input via the user interface unit, and to display a
page to display the icon corresponding to the selected application
selected from among the plurality of thumbnail images.
13. The terminal device of claim 12, wherein the user interface
unit displays a thumbnail image in a non-selectable state if a
corresponding page does not have available space to add the icon
corresponding to the selected application, or displays a thumbnail
image in a selectable state if a corresponding page has available
space to add the icon corresponding to the selected
application.
14. The terminal device of claim 13, wherein the control unit
controls the user interface unit to display a folder-selecting
popup window, if the thumbnail image in the selectable state is
selected.
15. The terminal device of claim 13, wherein the control unit
controls the user interface unit to display a folder-selecting
window in activated state on one side of the thumbnail image in the
non-selectable state, if the page that does not have the available
space to add the icon corresponding to the selected application
includes a folder therein.
16. The terminal device of claim 12, wherein the user interface
unit displays information to indicate a download progress of the
selected application on one side of the icon corresponding to the
selected application.
17. The terminal device of claim 16, wherein the information is
represented in the form of a progress bar which is displayed as
rotating around an edge of the icon corresponding to the selected
application, clockwise or counterclockwise, according to the
download progress of the selected application, and the progress bar
completely surrounds the edge of the icon corresponding to the
selected application when downloading of the selected application
is completed.
18. The terminal device of claim 12, wherein the storage unit
stores information including a use history of the selected
application, a location at which each application is stored, and a
location at which the identifier of each application is displayed,
and if the control unit determines according to the use history of
the selected application that the selected application has not been
used yet, the control unit controls the user interface unit to
display a mark on one side of the icon corresponding to the
selected application to indicate that the selected application has
not been used yet.
19. The terminal device of claim 12, wherein the identifier is a
text which represents the application, and if the command is input
through the user interface unit, the control unit controls the user
interface unit to divide a text list representing the
previously-installed applications based on a preset number and
displaying the divided text list on a plurality of pages, so that a
page to add the text to represent the selected application is
selected from the pages which correspond to the divided text
list.
20. The terminal device of claim 19, wherein the control unit
controls the user interface unit to ensure available space on the
text list of the selected page, while shifting a displaying
location of existing text downward, and additionally displaying the
text on the ensured space.
Description
PRIORITY
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119(a) to
Korean Patent Application No. 10-2010-0092521, which was filed on
Sep. 20, 2010, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the
entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to installing an
application, and more particularly to a terminal device which
downloads and installs an application from an external server,
while indicating an identifier corresponding to the application at
an adequate location, and a method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Terminal devices such as smartphones provide a variety of
functionality, through various forms of application programs to
thus provide convenience to users. The application programs may be
installed as default applications by the manufacturers of the
devices, or by users, after purchasing the device, by downloading
applications from external servers.
The application market has expanded to services that enable
downloading of applications to not only portable terminal devices,
but also stationary terminal devices such as Televisions (TVs).
Once an application program is installed, an identifier that
represents the corresponding application program may appear on the
background screen, such as icons corresponding to applications
displayed on the background screens of smartphones.
Since the icons are displayed at random locations, users have to
search through pages to find the location of an icon they have just
installed and as the number of installed applications increases,
newly-installed icons that have not been used yet become more
difficult to distinguish at a glance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the
above-mentioned disadvantages occurring in the prior art and other
related disadvantages not described above, and the present
invention provides a terminal device which, when an application is
downloaded and installed, distinguishes the application by setting
the location and shape of an identifier corresponding to a
downloaded application to thus enable convenient use of the
application by a user, and a method for installing the
application.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is
provided a method for installing an application, which may include
inputting a command to download the application, selecting a page
to add an identifier for executing the application, and displaying
the identifier on the selected page.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, a
terminal device is provided, which may include a user interface
unit which receives a command to download an application, a
communication interface unit which is connected to a server in
response to the command to download the application, a storage unit
which stores the downloaded application, and a control unit which
provides a screen to select a page on which an identifier
corresponding to the application is displayed, and controls the
user interface unit to display the identifier on the selected page
on the screen.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other features, aspects and advantages of the present
invention will be more apparent from the following detailed
description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in
which:
FIG. 1 is block diagram of a terminal device according to an
embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a terminal device according to an
embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a page select
screen, displayed at downloading of an application according to an
embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating another example of the page select
screen according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of application
installation process according to an embodiment of the present
invention;
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of progress bar
displayed on an edge of an icon according to an embodiment of the
present invention;
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an icon shape
representing an application installed but not used yet according to
an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating another example of the page select
screen;
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a process of adding a text
corresponding to an application on a page that contains a text list
according to an embodiment of the present invention; and
FIGS. 10 and 11 are flowcharts illustrating methods of a terminal
device for installing an application according to embodiments of
the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be
described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which aspects of the present invention are
illustrated.
In the following description, same drawing reference numerals are
used for the same elements throughout the drawings. While the
embodiments are described with detailed construction and elements,
to assist in a comprehensive understanding of the present
invention, the embodiments of the present invention can be
implemented without those specific details. Also, well-known
functions or constructions may be omitted so as to avoid obscuring
the description with unnecessary detail.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a terminal device according to an
embodiment of the present invention. The terminal device herein may
be portable devices such as mobile phones, Personal Digital
Assistants (PDAs), MP3 players, or stationary terminal devices such
as TVs, electronic frames, electronic display devices, and the
like
Referring to FIG. 1, the terminal device may include a user
interface unit 110, a control unit 120, a communication interface
unit 130, and a storage unit 140.
The user interface unit 110 may be configured to display various
screens providing a user with information, and receives various
commands or data from the user. The user interface unit 110 may be
implemented in a form that includes a separate display terminal
(e.g., a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) panel, etc.) and input device
(e.g., button, wheel, touchpad, Infa-Red (IR) reception, etc.), or
as a touch screen that is capable of both output and input.
The storage unit 140 stores various programs installed on the
terminal device. The storage unit 140 may include one or more
various memories such as, for example, a Read Only Memory (ROM), a
Random Access Memory (RAM), a flash memory, a memory card, a
Universal Serial Bus (USB) memory, a Hard Disk Drive (HDD), etc.
Specifically, the storage unit 140 may store therein various
programs such as, for example, an Operating System (O/S) program to
drive the terminal device, various utility programs, various
application programs, or viewer programs. For convenience of
explanation, the programs used in the terminal device are
collectively referred to as "applications."
The user may select an application intended for execution through
the user interface unit 110. Specifically, the user may select the
intended application by selecting an application identifier
displayed on the screen of the terminal device. The identifier may
be displayed in various forms. One example, is the identifier may
be displayed in the form of an icon arranged on the background
screen of the terminal, or in text form that represents the
application. Further, the identifier may be directly formed on the
screen of the terminal device, or appears on the screen when the
user selects a specific button such as "menu" button to search
available applications.
When an application is selected, the control unit 120 executes the
application program stored in the storage unit 140 and provides the
user with the service corresponding to the application program.
The applications may be installed upon manufacturing the terminal
devices, or acquired from an external device (i.e., server) which
is connected through wired or wireless interface, or downloaded
from application stores that provide applications for sale.
The communication interface unit 130 is configured to be connected
to the external server by wired or wireless communication protocol
and download applications. The applications downloaded from the
communication interface unit 130 may be stored at the storage unit
140.
The control unit 120 is connected to a server using the
communication interface unit 130 in response to a server access
command received from the user through the user interface unit 110.
The information provided from the server is provided to the user
through the user interface unit 110. The user may search, select
and input a command to download an intended application. In
response to an input of the download command, the control unit 120
transmits a download request for the selected application through
the communication interface unit 130. Processes such as
authentication and installation of security programs may be
additionally implemented. If the application is sent from the
server, the control unit 120 stores the received application at the
storage unit 140 and installs the application.
If a command to download the application is input, the control unit
120 selects the page to display an identifier corresponding to the
application. That is, the control unit 120 controls the user
interface unit 110 to display the page select screen.
The user may select a page to add the identifier from the page
select screen displayed on the user interface unit 110.
If the page is selected, the control unit 120 controls the user
interface unit 110 so that the identifier is displayed on the
selected page during or after downloading.
As explained above, the identifier may be implemented in various
forms including icons or text. Further, the page select screen may
be implemented in various forms.
FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of a terminal device according
to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, the
terminal device may include a user interface unit 110, a control
unit 120, a communication interface unit 130, and a storage unit
140.
For example, the user interface unit 110 may be implemented as a
touch screen. That is, the user interface unit 110 may include a
display unit 111, and a touch recognition unit 112. The display
unit 111 may be composed of a plurality of layers such as display
panel, color filter, or backlight unit. The display unit 111
display various screens according to the data provided from the
control unit 120.
The touch recognition unit 112 may be implemented as a touch sensor
provided on the display unit 111 to perceive a touch of the user on
the display panel. The touch recognition unit 112 may provide the
control unit 120 with information about a spot touched on by the
user, such as coordinate information.
The control unit 120 includes a command recognition unit 121, a
download management unit 122, an application management unit 123,
and a graphic control unit 124.
The command recognition unit 121 recognizes the command input by
the user based on the information provided from the touch
recognition unit 112 and the currently-displayed screen data. The
command recognition unit 121 may control the download management
unit 122, the application management unit 123 and the graphic
control unit 124 according to the recognized command.
The download management unit 122 accesses the server via the
communication interface unit 130 and provides the function of
downloading an application. The download management unit 122
generates a command or data for various functions such as server
access, search, application selection, or download requests,
transmits these to the server via the communication interface unit
130 and performs the download according to a response from the
server.
The application management unit 123 is configured to manage various
applications stored and installed at the storage unit 140. The
application management unit 123 may read the application selected
by the user from the storage unit 140 and execute the read
application. Further, the application management unit 123 manages a
use history of each application based on the use thereof. That is,
the application management unit 123 may mange the history of each
application by frequency or time of use. Further, the application
management unit 123 may also manage the location at which the
respective application is installed. The application management
unit 123 may manage information including an address of a location
at which an application is stored in the storage unit 140, a
location of an application identifier on the screen page, a number
of identifiers per page, and the like.
The graphic control unit 124 generates screen data to be displayed
at the display unit 111 and provides the generated data to the
display unit 111. The graphic control unit 124 generates data for
various screens related with application download such as, for
example, page select screens in various forms, thumbnail images
with respect to the pages, screens corresponding to the data
transmitted from the server, and the like, and outputs the
generated data to the display unit 111. Additionally, the graphic
control unit 124 may render a screen according to execution of an
application and provide the display unit 111 with the rendered
screen.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a page select screen
which is displayed when downloading an application according to an
embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 3, in response to a download command 11 on the
screen 10 provided by the server, the screen 10 becomes a page
select screen. On the page select screen, the screen pages of the
terminal device may each be represented by a thumbnail image and
aligned.
That is, the identifiers of the applications may be aligned on the
background screen of the terminal device. Herein, if there are too
many identifiers to be displayed on one screen, the excess
identifiers may be aligned on the next page. The user may turn to
the next page by touching on the screen or manipulating the key. As
explained above, in an example where the identifiers are
represented in icon forms, the icons may be displayed on the
respective pages. Accordingly, different number and type of
identifiers appear on each page.
FIG. 3 illustrates thumbnail images of pages being displayed on a
screen 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 3, total eight thumbnail images (12-1.about.12-8)
may be displayed. In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, pages 1, 3,
4, 5, 8 (12-1, 12-3, 12-4, 12-5, 12-8) have space to add
identifiers and thus can be displayed as selectable state.
Conversely, pages 2, 6, and 7 (12-2, 12-6, 12-7) have no space to
add the identifiers and thus displayed as non-selectable state.
Accordingly, the user can be guided to select the page from among
the pages that can add identifiers therein.
The selectable and non-selectable state may be displayed in various
manners. For example, the thumbnail images in selectable state may
be normally displayed, while the non-selectable thumbnail images
may be blurred with downgraded brightness. Alternatively,
non-selectable state of the thumbnail images may be represented by
a corresponding message, or in distinguishing color from that of
the selectable thumbnail images so that the user can notice the
same.
Although all pages display thumbnail images and the thumbnails are
indicated as selectable or non-selectable, depending on the
presence and absence of spaces in FIG. 3, alternatively the
thumbnail images with respect to the non-selectable pages may
instead not be displayed.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating another construction of the page
select screen according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 4, identifiers are displayed in icon forms, and
thumbnail images with respect to the respective pages in which
existing identifiers are displayed, are aligned on one screen. As
illustrated in FIG. 3, the thumbnail images with space are
indicated to be selectable, while the thumbnail images without
space are indicated to be non-selectable.
In each page, the identifiers may be grouped and stored under
folders. Accordingly, when the user selects a page, a
folder-selecting popup window may appear to allow the user to
select a folder from the selected page.
Referring to FIG. 4, if a thumbnail image 8 (12-8) is selected, a
folder-selecting popup window 13-1 is displayed at one side of the
thumbnail image 8 (12-8). The folder-selecting popup window 13-1
displays all the folders included in the thumbnail image 8 (12-8)
to thus allow the user to select a specific folder therefrom. In
one embodiment, the information about the folders may be displayed
on the folder-selecting popup window 13-1. Alternatively, a
folder-selecting popup window may be displayed for each of the
entire folders included in the thumbnail image 8 (12-8). Herein,
the respective folder-selecting popup windows may display
information about the identifiers included in the folder.
Even the page without space may have a folder therein, and if so,
an identifier may be added to such folder. Accordingly, as
illustrated in FIG. 4, if the thumbnail image 6 (12-6) from among
the non-selectable thumbnail images 12-2, 12-6, 12-7 has a
selectable folder therein, the folder-selecting window 13-2 may be
fixedly indicated on one side of the thumbnail image 6 (12-6). The
folder-selecting window 13-2 may also be displayed as a single
window to indicate the information about the entire folder, or a
plurality of windows corresponding to the respective folders to
indicate identifier information under the corresponding folder.
Although the folder-selecting popup window 13-1 is provided for the
selectable thumbnail image, while the stationary folder-selecting
window 13-2, instead of popup window, is provided for the
non-selectable thumbnail image, in FIG. 4, even for the
non-selectable thumbnail images, the folder-selecting window 13-2
may be implemented as a popup window which appears in response to
selecting of a corresponding image. Likewise, a stationary
folder-selecting window, instead of popup window, may be provided
for the selectable thumbnail images.
The folder-selecting window displayed on the screen may be provided
to be selected by the unit of folders of the application groups
which are categorized by application types or user's selection. For
example, if a game application is downloaded, the folder-selecting
popup window 13-1 or folder-selecting window 13-2 with respect to
the folder of game group appears on the screen in popup or
stationary manner.
The identifiers of the applications may be displayed as various
icons. The shapes of the icons may be provided by the application
provider, or directed generated or edited by the user.
FIG. 5 is a diagram provided to explain a process of downloading
and installing an application according to an embodiment of the
present invention. Referring to FIG. 5, in response to a download
command input to a page provided from the application server, the
screen 10 is turned to the page select screen. Accordingly, the
thumbnail images 12-1.about.12-8 of the respective pages are
displayed in selectable or non-selectable states.
If one thumbnail image is selected, the screen is turned to the
page corresponding to the selected thumbnail image. For example, if
thumbnail image 8 (12-8) is selected in FIG. 5, the icons displayed
in the thumbnail image 8 (12-8) in reduced forms are arranged on
the screen 10 in original sizes.
Thereafter, an icon corresponding to the newly-downloaded
application is additionally displayed. On one side of the
additional icon, information indicating the degree of processing
download may be displayed. In FIG. 5, the progress bar 14 provides
such information. That is, in FIG. 5, the progress bar 14
represents the degree of processing download by rotating along the
edge of the icon in clockwise or counterclockwise direction.
The detailed form of the progress bar 14 is illustrated in FIGS. 6
and 7. Referring to FIG. 6, the progress bar 14 starts from a spot
on one side of the icon, and extends in clockwise direction along
the edge of the icon, and finishes at the spot where the progress
bar 14 started as the download is completed.
As illustrated in FIG. 7, a mark 15 may be additionally displayed
on one side of the icon to indicate that the download is
completed.
That is, for an application which has been downloaded, but not used
yet, the terminal device may indicate a specific form of mark on
one side of the corresponding icon so that the user can easily
notice such situation. Although the mark 15 is indicated in FIG. 5,
other manners of marking may be implemented. For example, the icon
itself may be flickered, or highlighted to draw user attention.
Once the corresponding application is used, the terminal device may
remove the mark 15.
In accordance with another embodiment, for applications that are
less frequently used, an indicating mark may be used or a
corresponding icon may be displayed to draw the attention of the
user in a similar manner as explained above.
Although the progress bar is used in the embodiments of FIGS. 5 to
7 to indicate the degree of download progress, other forms of
information such as numbers or text may also be used. For example,
information such as percentage to represent the download progress,
total time expected to be taken until completing download, time
elapsed so far or remaining time may be indicated on a side of the
icon or at a predetermined area on the screen. Further, the
progress bar does not have to be displayed in the manner
illustrated in FIG. 5 in which the progress bar surrounds the edge
of the icon. For example, a simple bar may be displayed on one side
of the icon.
While the identifiers may be displayed as icon forms in some
embodiments, other examples are also possible. For example,
text-based identifier may be used to represent an application.
Specifically, text including detailed information such as name of
the application, date of download, or name of the provider may be
used as the identifier.
In the above-mentioned example, the identifiers may be arranged in
a list form. Accordingly, the page select screen may be implemented
in a form as illustrated in FIG. 8.
Referring to FIG. 8, a preset number of identifiers are formed on
each page as a group, and thumbnail images (16-1 to 16-6) with
respect to the respective pages may be displayed on the screen. The
example of FIG. 8 has n number of identifiers on each page.
In such a state, the user may select a page to add an identifier of
a newly-downloaded application. Herein, the user may select the
page and also the location of the identifier on the corresponding
page.
Unlike FIG. 3, FIG. 8 has all the pages in a selectable state. That
is, the texts are listed in sequence, and since the pages simply
divide the lists according to the preset number, the user may
select the location to add the identifier from the list so that the
identifier is displayed on the selected location. Accordingly, in
the particular embodiment, the thumbnail images are not displayed
in non-selectable state.
FIG. 9 illustrates the construction of a screen on which one page
is selected according to an embodiment of the present invention.
That is, if the thumbnail image 2 (16-2) is selected from the
screen of FIG. 8, the screen changes to the state as illustrated in
FIG. 9. Accordingly, the user may select between App n+2 and App
n+3 on the screen of FIG. 9.
In this example, the application text located below the selected
location, i.e., APP n+3, APP n+4 . . . are shifted downward to thus
ensure space, and new identifier (APP x) is additionally displayed
on the ensured space.
As explained above, the identifier may be displayed not only as an
icon, but also as a text, and in either case, it is possible to
select the pages.
Further, in FIGS. 8 and 9, information to indicate the download
progress may be displayed together. That is, numbers, text or
progress bar to indicate the extent of completing download may be
displayed on one side of the newly-added identifier (APP x).
Further, an identifier of the application which has been downloaded
but not used yet may be displayed with brighter color or higher
brightness, or flickered, or a marked with a specific mark. Since
this has been explained in detail above with reference to FIGS. 5
to 7, detailed explanation and illustration thereof will be omitted
for the sake of brevity.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for installing an
application of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the
present invention.
Referring to FIG. 10, at step S1010, if a command to download is
input, at step S1020, a page select screen is provided and a page
to display an identifier corresponding to a downloaded application
is selected.
Page may be selected in various manners. Specifically, the user may
select the page through the page select screen as the one
illustrated in FIG. 3, 4, 5, or 8.
At step S1030, if a page is selected, an identifier is displayed on
the selected page. As explained above, if the terminal device
includes a touch screen, the page may be selected by direct
touching on the screen.
Further, once the identifier is displayed, information to indicate
the download progress may also be provided along with the
identifier until download is completed.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method for installing an
application of a terminal device according to another embodiment of
the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 11, at step S1110, the user accesses the server
using the terminal device. Herein, the information regarding the
server may be directly stored in the terminal device, or the user
may directly input the server address and access the server.
After accessing the server, the user searches for the application
to download and decides whether or not to download the
application.
At step S1120, if the user selects an application to download and
decides to download the selected application, at step S1130, the
page select screen is displayed.
The page select screen may be constructed in a manner in which the
respective pages including existing identifiers corresponding to
the previously-installed applications are listed in thumbnail
images. If there are too many thumbnail images to be displayed on
one screen, the thumbnail images may be divided and displayed on a
plurality of pages which are switchable by screen touch and
scrolling.
At step S1140, if page is selected through the page select screen,
at step S1160, the user may select the folder or group. That is, if
page includes folder therein during page selection, a window for
folder selection may appear. Accordingly, the user is enabled to
select a specific folder through the displayed window. At step
S1170, if the folder is selected, an identifier of the application
to be downloaded under the corresponding folder of the
corresponding page may be additionally displayed.
At step S1140, if the page is not selected, at step S1150, a page
may be selected at random or the last page may be selected.
At step S1180, if the page is selected, but the folder is not
selected, an identifier may be additionally displayed on the
background screen of the selected page.
Apart from the operation to select the page and folder explained
above, downloading and installing a selected application is
automatically carried out.
As a result, on one side of the added identifier, information may
be displayed, which is changed according to the download progress
and installation. Accordingly, the user can check the download
progress and installation of an application corresponding to the
identifier.
At step S1190, if download and installation are completed, whether
or not the application is used may be checked until the first use
of the application, and at step S1200, if the application is not
used, a mark may be displayed. The `mark` herein may be implemented
as an indicator that shows the application has not been used yet.
Accordingly, the mark may be automatically displayed as the
download is completed.
At step S1210, if the application indicated by the mark is used,
the mark is deleted. After that, the identifier is treated as the
existing identifiers.
Alternatively, step of selecting a folder, displaying or deleting a
mark, and the like may be omitted. Further, folder may be selected
directly without requiring page selection.
Further, the page select screen explained above may be selectively
provided depending on modes. That is, if the user wishes to add a
new identifier without directly selecting a page to display such
new identifier, the user may set the operation to normal mode. In
such an example, the page select screen is not provided, but the
identifier may be directly displayed on a random page. Conversely,
if the user wishes to directly select the page, the user may set
the operation to page select mode. In this example, the user may
select and display pages and folders through various forms of page
select screens including those explained above.
Further, the method for installing an application according to
various embodiments may be stored on various types of recording
media and implemented by the program code which can be executed by
a CPU provided in the terminal device body.
Specifically, the code to carry out the method for installing an
application may be stored in various types of recording media which
are readable by a terminal device, such as, for example, a RAM, a
flash memory, a ROM, an Erasable Programmable ROM (EPROM), and
Electronically Erasable and Programmable ROM (EEPROM), a register,
a hard disk, a removable disk, a memory card, a USB memory, or a
CD-ROM.
According to the above-described embodiments, the user is able to
select an identifier corresponding to a new application and display
the identifier at an intended location, and also easily determine
the download progress or whether or not the application has been
used. As a result, convenience of using applications improves.
While the present invention has been shown and described with
reference to various embodiments thereof, the present teaching can
be readily applied to other types of apparatuses. The description
of the various embodiments of the present invention is intended to
be illustrative, and changes in form and detail may be made without
departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention,
defined by the appended claims.
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